Koichi Iinuma
Koichi Iinuma's delicate and sophisticated style has a certain modern flair, with its flashes of gold and silver combined with astonishingly beautiful colours and tones. He experiments with a variety of materials; including glass, lacquer, and numerous other glazes to express his artistic creativity. His sake cups are particularly notable as collectors' items as he continues to gain an impressive reputation in the arts scene. Not only has he featured in a number of distinguished exhibitions, but has won many prizes, confirming his status as an artist to watch.
Background
1962 Born in Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
1999 Apprentice to Kouji Arata, Kasama Pottery
2002 Became a Studio Artist of Ceramic Art, Shiga Prefecture
2004 Set up his own kiln in Kasama
Competitions & Prizes
Japan Ceramic exhibtion - Selected twice, one prize nomination
Japan Traditional Arts Guild - Selected twice
Eastern Japan Traditional Arts Guild - Selected five times
Toubi Exhibition - Selected 3 times
Kikuchi Bi-annual Competition Prize Winner
Minno International Ceramic Festival - Selected twice
Kobe Bi-annual Competition Prize Winner
Hagi Ceramic Exhibition Prize Winner
Tokonabe Modern Ceramic Art Exhibition Prize Winner
Asahi Ceramics Exhibition - Selected three times
Mashiko Ceramics Exhibition - Selected once
Exhibitions of note
Gallery White Cube - Solo Exhibition
Kyoto Takashimaya Department Store - Solo Exhibition
Mito Keisei Department Store Art Gallery - Solo Exhibtion
Ibaragi Ceramic Museum - “Layered” Exhibition
Ibaragi Ceramic Museum - Modern Ceramics in Ibaragi
Ibaragi Ceramic Museum - “Modern Ceramic Phenomenon” Public Collection
Some of Iinuma's sake cups come with a traditional wooden box. The special method of tying the bow is shown in the video above.
